Kazakhstan held a controversial constitutional referendum on March 15 proposing sweeping political changes that critics say could further concentrate power in the presidency.
The vote was held amid reports of media restrictions and the brief detention of journalists covering the referendum, which asked voters whether they approve a new constitution published in the media on February 12.
The draft constitution introduces major political changes, including replacing the bicameral parliament with a single-chamber legislature, eliminating self-nomination for deputies, and creating a new advisory body -- the People’s Council -- with legislative initiative powers.
It also grants the president authority to appoint key officials without parliamentary approval, a shift critics say would consolidate power in the executive branch while reducing legislative oversight.
SEE ALSO: Lactose Intolerance: Kazakh Dissent Turns To Sour CreamAt Astana’s Palace of Students, where President Qasym-Dzhomart Toqaev was scheduled to vote, plainclothes officers briefly detained several journalists, including RFE/RL reporter Zholdas Orisbayev and former Azattyq journalist Saniya Toiken.
Witnesses said the detentions occurred shortly before Toqaev arrived at the polling station. The journalists were released after roughly three hours, and the president cast his ballot shortly afterward.
Observers from the Mukalmas election monitoring organization were also denied entry to some polling stations, while reporter from the independent media outlet Informburo was briefly detained after asking about the earlier arrests.
OSCE Criticism
Legal experts warned that such actions could constitute interference with journalistic work.
“If a journalist has an editorial assignment and official accreditation, no one has the right to restrict their work,” said Gulmira Birzhanova, head of the legal department at the press freedom group Legal Media Center. “The only circumstance under which a journalist could be accused of breaking the law is if they interfere with the secrecy of the vote.”
Police in Almaty also detained at least three individuals on the city’s Astana Square, though authorities have not commented on the arrests.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) criticized the preparations for the vote, saying voters had limited time to access information about the proposed constitutional changes.
The OSCE sent a limited assessment team rather than a full observation mission, citing concerns about transparency.
Vote Officially Validated
According to Kazakhstan’s Central Referendum Commission, about 12.5 million of the country's population of 20 million were registered to vote.
By 6 p.m. local time, nationwide turnout had exceeded 70 percent, with participation surpassing 80 percent in the Zhambyl, Karaganda, Kostanay, and Turkistan regions, and reaching 91 percent in the Kyzylorda region. In contrast, turnout in Almaty city stood at just 32 percent.
The referendum required more than half of registered voters to participate in order to be valid. With turnout exceeding that threshold, the vote has been officially validated.
Central Referendum Commission secretary Mukhtar Yerman said preliminary results would be released early on March 16.
Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev casts his vote in the referendum in Astana on March 15.
Former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who led Kazakhstan for nearly three decades before stepping down in 2019, voted at the Astana Opera and publicly endorsed the referendum, calling it a step toward strengthening Kazakhstan’s independence.
After protests in January 2022 protests, President Toqaev’s government stripped Nazarbaev of his special constitutional privileges, marking a shift in the country’s political balance.
When journalists asked Nazarbaev about the rewriting of what some critics call “his constitution,” he smiled but declined to comment.